Etium Alter Locus
by RumBelleDearie
Summary: Lily also survived Voldemort's attack on that fateful Halloween night. Severus/Lily, Snily
1. Alive

**So I think it's pretty much the law that every FanFic that is Lily/Severus needs to start off with a chapter like this.**

**PS: ****_Etium Alter Locus_**** is Latin for ****_A Second Chance_****. Or so Google Translate tells me.**

**I thought I was being clever.**

**Sorry for the random update. I fixed a few grammatical and punctuation errors.**

**7/26/14**

**NOTICE**

**THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN EDITED DUE TO A REVIEW THAT BROUGHT UP SOME PRETTY GOOD POINTS. THE EDIT OF THE CHAPTER CAN BE FOUND DIRECTLY BELOW THE ORIGINAL**

* * *

October 31, 1981

Severus Snape stumbled through what was left of the Potter residence in Godric's Hollow. He found James Potter lying in the ruins and began to panic. Not that he particularly cared for James, he was not his priority.

Lily.

What if she was gone? What if he- the Dark Lord- had gotten to her?

"Lily!", he yelled as he trekked up the stairs in search of her. He heard a child crying. Their child. James and Lily.

He followed the sound of the sobbing child and found his love lying on the floor, appearing to be dead.

"No. NO. Please no." He trembled as he kneel next to her seemingly lifeless body. He lifted her head on to his lap.

"Lily? Lily, please don't be dead. Come on. Wake up. Please," Severus pleaded as he lifted her shoulders and held her. Her head lay limp on his shoulder while her body lay across his chest. Tears began to slowly stream down is cheeks when she did not respond.

"It's all my fault," he sobbed, "I told him the prophecy. This would have never happened if it weren't for me."

He felt Lily's chest slightly expand.

She was breathing. She was alive.

Severus let out a deep breath that was almost a laugh.

He needed to get her to a hospital. St. Mungo's would draw too much attention. Madame Pomfrey at Hogwarts would have to suffice. But what was he to do with Harry? He was much too young to apparate. They would have to travel to Hogwarts to by another method. And quickly.

Harry continued to whimper from his crib. Severus gently placed Lily on the floor and stood to lift Harry from the crib. The child looked for the most part unharmed except for the small lightning bolt shaped cut that was on his forehead.

He heard the sound of a motor bike from outside the house.

Dumbledore and Hagrid.

Wonderful.

Severus held Harry and waited for the two to make their way up to them. Harry began to calm down after a few minutes of being held.

"In here!", he yelled when he heard their foot steps.

Dumbledore and Hagrid approached the wreckage of Harry's room.

"They're alive. I don't know how, but they are. Harry is fine, but Lily needs a hospital and I couldn't apparate with Harry and I couldn't very well leave him here," Severus rambled.

"Breathe, Severus. We will get Lily and Harry to Hogwarts," Dumbledore assured.

Hagrid moved to lift Lily's seemingly lifeless body.

"This shouldn't have happened. You were supposed to hide them; protect them. I told you that he would go after them," Severus said.

"I did what I could. The Potters had a Secret Keeper though and it would seem that they put their trust in the wrong person," Dumbledore explained, "We can discuss this more after we get them to Hogwarts."

* * *

November 1, 1981

"I've done what I could. She will wake up when she is ready," Madame Pomfrey explained.

Madame Pomfrey left the side of Lily's bed to attend to the other patients while Severus and Dumbledore stood at the foot of the bed. Severus was holding Harry. Severus and Minerva were taking turns taking care of him since the incident. Severus never really liked children but he preferred that Harry not be in the care of anyone that he didn't trust. Harry actually looked quite a bit like his father which was a tad annoying for Severus who was severely bullied in the past by James and the other Marauders.

"Mama?", Harry asked

"Yes, Harry. That is your mother," Severus told him.

"Dada?", Harry asked hopefully.

Severus hesitated. "Your father is gone, Harry."

Harry frowned, trying to understand.

"Now would you be so kind as to explain to me how this happened?", Severus asked Dumbledore.

"I told you they had a Secret Keeper. They cast the Fidelius Charm and I had offered to be their Secret Keeper but they refused. Whoever it was must have outed them."

"I'm going to guess it was one of three idiots that Potter used to run around with in school," Severus speculated.

"Well it wasn't this idiot," a voice piped up from behind them.

"Ah, Sirius. I'm glad we were able to reach you," Albus said.

"Hey Snivellus, how long's it been?" Sirius asked.

"Not long enough," Severus replied.

Sirius looked at Harry in the Slytherin's arms. "Does someone want to tell me why the Death Eater is holding my godson?" Sirius questioned

"Severus' loyalty is not with Voldemort. It is with us. He is a spy for the Order," Dumbledore explained.

Sirius shook his head. "Still...", he said while holding out his arms for Harry.

Severus sighed and passed on the child.

"That's better. Hi Harry! How's my little godson?", Sirius cooed.

Harry smiled and patted Sirius' face. "Siri!"

"How long until Lily wakes up?" Sirius asked.

"We're not sure," Dumbledore responded, "Madame Pomfrey said that she will wake up when she is ready. And given the circumstances, I would want to try to sleep as long as possible too."

Sirius' tone became more serious **(A/N: HA! Sorry, I had to laugh at that little pun.) **"Where did they take James?"

Dumbledore swallowed. "His body is being kept at the Ministry until other arrangements can be made."

Sirius sighed. "I'm still trying to understand that he is actually gone. I never thought that one day, I would be without Prongs. He was my best friend."

"We are all grieving his death," Dumbledore said.

"I'm afraid how Lily is going to take when she wakes up," Sirius said. Harry began to make small noises and reach for Lilly.

"No Harry. Your mother needs to sleep. She'll wake up soon enough," Severus told him.

"Well isn't that cute. The Death Eater has become attached to a Potter," Sirius sneered.

"I have not become attached to the spawn of Potter. I was merely informing him that his mother needed to rest," Severus clarified.

"Uh-huh. Well I would love to stand around all day and chat but I have...other things to attend to. Will Harry and Lily be safe here?", Sirius asked.

"Hogwarts is the safest place for them right now," Dumbledore assured him.

Sirius nodded and handed Harry back to Severus. "Just keep him safe please," he told Severus.

Severus nodded to him and said, "I will do all that I can."

"Thank you." Sirius turned away from the three and made his way out of the medical ward.

"We need Lily to wake and tell us who their Secret Keeper was. I have already contacted Bartemius Crouch and he as a special place in Askaban for whoever this traitor may be," Dumbledore said. "Until Lily wakes, I leave Harry in your care. I spoke with Minerva and she informed me that even though she would love to look after the boy, she has entirely to much work to do with her students."

"And I'm not busy? I have classes and students, potions to be brewed...this will all be rather difficult with a child who can barely walk," Severus complained.

Dumbledore smiled. "You'll manage. Goodbye, Harry! Be sure to take care of Severus," he said and turned to leave.

"Wait!", Severus called after Dumbledore who stopped and turned. "Could you please cancel my classes for the rest of this week? Just until we get this all sorted out."

Dumbledore pondered this for a moment. "I believe that can be arranged," he said and continued on his way out of the ward.

"Sevwus?" Harry asked.

"Yes?" he answered.

"Hungy."

"You're hungry?" he asked and then huffed.

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! I'll try to update regularly and keep the chapters to about 1,500-2,000 words each. Next we get to see how Severus is when taking care of Harry alone for a night. Maybe Lily will wake up too? Who knows. Haven't decided yet. I would actually love some reviews :)**

**NOTICE**

**7/27/14**

**THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN EDITED DUE TO A REVIEW THAT BROUGHT UP SOME PRETTY GOOD POINTS. THE EDIT OF THIS CHAPTER CAN BE FOUND DIRECTLY BELOW. ONLY MINOR CHANGES THAT WILL BE EXPLAINED LATER.**

* * *

October 31, 1981

Severus Snape stumbled through what was left of the Potter residence in Godric's Hollow. He found James Potter lying in the ruins and began to panic. Not that he particularly cared for James, he was not his priority.

Lily.

What if she was gone? What if he- the Dark Lord- had gotten to her?

"Lily!", he yelled as he trekked up the stairs in search of her. He heard a child crying. Their child. James and Lily.

He followed the sound of the sobbing child and found his love lying on the floor, appearing to be dead.

"No. NO. Please no." He trembled as he kneel next to her seemingly lifeless body. He lifted her head on to his lap.

"Lily? Lily, please don't be dead. Come on. Wake up. Please," Severus pleaded as he lifted her shoulders and held her. Her head lay limp on his shoulder while her body lay across his chest. Tears began to slowly stream down is cheeks when she did not respond.

"It's all my fault," he sobbed, "I told him the prophecy. This would have never happened if it weren't for me."

He felt Lily's chest slightly expand.

She was breathing. She was alive.

Severus let out a deep breath that was almost a laugh.

He needed to get her to a hospital. St. Mungo's would draw too much attention. Madame Pomfrey at Hogwarts would have to suffice. But what was he to do with Harry? He was much too young to apparate. They would have to travel to Hogwarts to by another method. And quickly.

Harry continued to whimper from his crib. Severus gently placed Lily on the floor and stood to lift Harry from the crib. The child looked for the most part unharmed except for the small lightning bolt shaped cut that was on his forehead.

He heard the sound of a motor bike from outside the house.

Dumbledore and Hagrid.

Wonderful.

Severus held Harry and waited for the two to make their way up to them. Harry began to calm down after a few minutes of being held.

"In here!", he yelled when he heard their foot steps.

Dumbledore and Hagrid approached the wreckage of Harry's room.

"They're alive. I don't know how, but they are. Harry is fine, but Lily needs a hospital and I couldn't apparate with Harry and I couldn't very well leave him here," Severus rambled.

"Breathe, Severus. We will get Lily and Harry to Hogwarts," Dumbledore assured.

Hagrid moved to lift Lily's seemingly lifeless body.

"This shouldn't have happened. You were supposed to hide them; protect them. I told you that he would go after them," Severus said.

"I did what I could. The Potters had a Secret Keeper though and it would seem that they put their trust in the wrong person," Dumbledore explained, "We can discuss this more after we get them to Hogwarts."

* * *

November 1, 1981

"I've done what I could. She will wake up when she is ready," Madame Pomfrey explained.

Madame Pomfrey left the side of Lily's bed to attend to the other patients while Severus and Dumbledore stood at the foot of the bed. Severus was holding Harry. Severus and Minerva were taking turns taking care of him since the incident. Severus never really liked children but he preferred that Harry not be in the care of anyone that he didn't trust. Harry actually looked quite a bit like his father which was a tad annoying for Severus who was severely bullied in the past by James and the other Marauders.

"Mama?", Harry asked

"Yes, Harry. That is your mother," Severus told him.

"Dada?", Harry asked hopefully.

Severus hesitated. "Your father is gone, Harry."

Harry frowned, trying to understand.

"Now would you be so kind as to explain to me how this happened?", Severus asked Dumbledore.

"I told you they had a Secret Keeper. They cast the Fidelius Charm and I had offered to be their Secret Keeper but they refused. Whoever it was must have outed them."

"I'm going to guess it was one of three idiots that Potter used to run around with in school," Severus speculated.

"Well it wasn't this idiot," a voice piped up from behind them.

"Ah, Sirius. I'm glad we were able to reach you," Albus said.

"Hey Snivellus, how long's it been?" Sirius asked.

"Not long enough," Severus replied.

Sirius looked at Harry in the Slytherin's arms. "Does someone want to tell me why the Slytherin is holding my godson?" Sirius questioned.

Dumbledore shook his head at Sirius. "Honestly, Sirius. Isn't it time that you have gotten over your childish ways?"

Severus rolled his eyes, sighed, and then passed on the child.

"That's better. Hi Harry! How's my little godson?", Sirius cooed.

Harry smiled and patted Sirius' face. "Siri!"

"How long until Lily wakes up?" Sirius asked.

"We're not sure," Dumbledore responded, "Madame Pomfrey said that she will wake up when she is ready. And given the circumstances, I would want to try to sleep as long as possible too."

Sirius' tone became more serious **(A/N: HA! Sorry, I had to laugh at that little pun.) **"Where did they take James?"

Dumbledore swallowed. "His body is being kept at the Ministry until other arrangements can be made."

Sirius sighed. "I'm still trying to understand that he is actually gone. I never thought that one day, I would be without Prongs. He was my best friend."

"We are all grieving his death," Dumbledore said.

"I'm afraid how Lily is going to take when she wakes up," Sirius said. Harry began to make small noises and reach for Lilly.

"No Harry. Your mother needs to sleep. She'll wake up soon enough," Severus told him.

"Well isn't that cute. He has become attached to a Potter," Sirius sneered.

"I have not become attached to the spawn of Potter. I was merely informing him that his mother needed to rest," Severus clarified.

"Uh-huh. Well I would love to stand around all day and chat but I have...other things to attend to. Will Harry and Lily be safe here?", Sirius asked.

"Hogwarts is the safest place for them right now," Dumbledore assured him.

Sirius nodded and handed Harry back to Severus. "Just keep him safe please," he told Severus.

Severus nodded to him and said, "I will do all that I can."

"Thank you." Sirius turned away from the three and made his way out of the medical ward.

"We need Lily to wake and tell us who their Secret Keeper was. I have already contacted Bartemius Crouch and he as a special place in Askaban for whoever this traitor may be," Dumbledore said. "Until Lily wakes, I leave Harry in your care. I spoke with Minerva and she informed me that even though she would love to look after the boy, she has entirely to much work to do with her students."

"And I'm not busy? I have classes and students, potions to be brewed...this will all be rather difficult with a child who can barely walk," Severus complained.

Dumbledore smiled. "You'll manage. Goodbye, Harry! Be sure to take care of Severus," he said and turned to leave.

"Wait!", Severus called after Dumbledore who stopped and turned. "Could you please cancel my classes for the rest of this week? Just until we get this all sorted out."

Dumbledore pondered this for a moment. "I believe that can be arranged," he said and continued on his way out of the ward.

"Sevwus?" Harry asked.

"Yes?" he answered.

"Hungy."

"You're hungry?" he asked and then huffed.

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

**This chapter was edited due this review by _Very Small Prophet:_**

**_Dumbledore sure tosses the identity of his spy around casually. If he's going to tell anyone, it should be one of the more mature Order members, and only after an oath of secrecy. He shouldn't be talking about it to a hostile, irresponsible Marauder (who, fifteen years later, never claimed to *know* that Severus was a Death Eater) in an open hospital ward. Does Dumbledore *want* his spy to be betrayed? He knows Sirius has tried to kill Snape once, just for fun, and is therefore the last person who should be entrusted with his safety._**

**Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I completely agree with this and I think that it will make to story flow better later on anyways. I sometimes screw up character profiles due to reading other fanfics that did not quite depict the character correctly and having not read the books in quite a while.**

**This is why I love reviews; because they help me become a better writer.**

**Thanks!**


	2. Bananas and Carrots

**Thank you so much for the reviews! Honestly, nice reviews mean so much to me, especially since it's been a while since I have read the books. If any of the facts are wrong in this story, please let me know so I can fix them! In this chapter, we get to see how Severus deals with taking care of Harry for a night.**

* * *

November 1, 1981

There wasn't much at Hogwarts that qualified as baby food. A banana, carrots, and a bottle of milk would have to suffice. Once Severus had gotten them back to his quarters, he transfigured one of his chairs in to a high chair and placed Harry in it. Severus realized that many objects would probably need to be transfigured seeing as he had almost nothing that a baby would need: a crib, toys, etc. He also transfigured a small trinket into a rattle to keep Harry occupied while he prepared his meal.

After Severus finished cutting the banana and carrots to a size that would not be so easily choked on, he placed them on a small saucer plate and put on the tray in front of Harry. He wasn't quite sure what to do next. Should he attempt to spoon feed him? Or if he placed the utensils in front of Harry, would he know what to do with them? His hesitation was cut short when Harry began to eat his meal with just his fingers. Severus gave the child a small smirk. He wondered if he should have put a bib on Harry just as a glob of banana was smushed to the front of his shirt.

"Too late now, I guess," Severus muttered to himself.

Harry looked down at his shirt and giggled. "Nana shirt."

"Yes, you have gotten bananas on your shirt. Let's try to avoid doing that again," Severus told him. Harry giggled again.

Severus continued to watch Harry eat. It took a remarkably long time considering how small he was and how little food he had on his plate. Harry seemed to think that he had to play with each bite of food.

When he was finished, Harry smiled and looked up at Severus. "All gone," he told him.

Severus lifted Harry from the high chair. "You are in need of a bath," Severus said, noticing the mess that Harry had made. He inhaled through his nose and made a face. "And a diaper change."

Severus took Harry to his bathroom and filled the tub with warm water. He removed Harry's clothes and diaper and placed him in the tub. While Harry was splashing around a bit, Severus looked at Harry's clothes and tried to decide what he should do with them. They were terribly soiled but he did not have a change of clothes for the child so he would have to find a way to clean them quickly.

"_Tergeo",_ he attempted. The spell rid the clothes of the food and left them suitably clean.

He turned his attention back to Harry who was happily playing in the water.

Severus shook his head at Harry. He was so easily amused by the simplest things.

He washed Harry and what little hair he had, making sure to avoid getting soap in his eyes.

Severus looked down at his shirt and sighed. Harry had managed to soak the front of if with his splashing.

He lifted Harry from the tub and wrapped him in a towel, took him into the living room and placed him on the floor while he searched for a diaper. Once a diaper was procured (a transfigured dish towel), he placed the diaper on Harry and then re-clothed him.

Severus noticed Harry's eye lids begin to droop and looked at the time.

7:00pm

That was an appropriate bed time for a child Harry's age, right?

He decided that this was acceptable when Harry rested his head on Severus' shoulder.

He transfigured another one of his chairs into a crib.

"If I keep this up, I am going to run out of chairs," he said to himself.

He placed Harry in the crib and moved it closer to the fireplace, but not close enough to catch fire.

Harry was out like a light in a matter of moments.

Severus looked down at the sleeping child and decided that he wasn't too terribly difficult to take care off. He could be a lot worse. Harry actually not cried or fussed the entire time that he was in Severus' care, which was unusual he thought.

Harry hadn't cried. Yet.

That soon changed.

After Harry was put to bed, Severus had changed his own clothes, ate his dinner, and settled down to sleep himself. They both slept peacefully for a few hours until Severus was awaken by Harry's loud sobs.

"Mama!", Harry cried.

Severus shifted his legs to the side of his bed and rubbed his eyes.

"Mama!", Harry cried again.

He rose from his bed and sleepily walked over to Harry's crib.

Harry had pulled himself up so that he was standing and holding on to the edge of the crib.

Severus was at a loss. He had no idea how to console a child, never the less one who wanted his mother when his mother was currently unconscious.

He lifted Harry from the crib and hesitantly patted the child's back. That seemed to have accomplished nothing. He then tried rocking and bouncing him a bit. Harry began to calm down after a few moments and his sobs reduced to soft whimpers. He thought Harry was calmed down enough to go back to sleep so he placed him back in the crib.

Harry immediately began to cry again and reached up for Severus.

"Okay. Okay, I get it. You're scared. You want your mother," Severus said and then picked Harry up again.

Severus sat down on the couch with him and held him as he cried.

"I know Harry," he told him, "I want her to wake up too."

* * *

**Well that was fun. A little bit shorter than I would have liked but nevertheless. Lily didn't wake up this chapter, but she probably will next chapter. Let me know what you think, I love reviews!**


	3. Mama

_**Zireael07: "How does Harry know Severus's name?"**_

**Harry knows Severus' name because he has heard Dumbledore say it a few times. Let's just hope he doesn't pick up on ****_Snivellus_****!**

**Well that was a quick update. I guess I couldn't wait to get all of this out :P**

**If you haven't noticed yet, Chapter 1: Alive has been edited. It is explained in the chapter so go back and check it out! :P**

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and/or followed. They are all much appreciated!**

* * *

November 2, 1981

Severus awoke with a warm weight on his chest. He was also sitting on the couch instead of lying in his bed.

After a few moments, he remembered the events on the night before and that the warm weight was in fact Harry who had woken up in the middle of the night.

Severus gently stood up with Harry, who was still asleep, and placed him in his crib. He figured Harry could sleep a little while longer, especially after his episode the night before.

While Harry slept, Severus prepared their breakfast. Eggs and toast. He wondered how much longer he would be caring for the child. The amount of food that he kept in his quarters was limited. He usually joined the rest of the staff and students for meals. With Harry, he would need to keep his pantry a bit more stocked. He didn't need to draw attention to himself and Harry by taking him to the Great Hall to dine.

Hopefully, Lily would wake up soon and he wouldn't have to watch over him much longer. Not that he really had anything against Harry. Harry was actually a lot easier to take care of than he had imagined. He had expected Harry to be horrendous, much like his father was when they were in school together. Harry needed Lily though. Severus had gathered that Harry had experienced a nightmare the previous night and his mother would be much better suited to console him than a man who has had little to no experience with young children.

The smell of food drifted through the air and grazed Harry's nostrils. The promising smell gently woke Harry up. He lifted himself so that he was standing and giggled to himself.

Severus turned his attention from the cooking eggs to Harry and gave him small smile. He turned off the burner and made his way over to Harry to lift him from his crib.

Harry smiled. "Hungy," he told Severus after he was removed from the crib.

"Well it's a good thing that I made us some breakfast, now isn't it?", he said with a slight smirk. "We'll eat after a diaper change."

After a diaper change and breakfast (a messy one at that), Severus took Harry to the Hospital Ward for a visit with Lily.

"She still hasn't woken up," Madame Pomfrey told Severus without him even asking. She left to tend to the other patients.

Harry's eyes lit up at the sight of his mother. "Mama!", he said excitedly.

Severus saw no harm in letting Harry sit on the bed with his mother so he him placed next to her.

Harry moved himself so that he was sitting on his mothers stomach. He starting babbling and waving his hands in the air as if he was talking. It was odd though. Young as he was, it seemed as if Harry somewhat understood the situation; that his mother was asleep, but in a deep sleep. He didn't look a bit disappointed when his mother didn't respond to his chatter, he was just happy to be with her.

Severus found a chair and dragged it over to the side of Lily's bed. He watched Harry and his babbling, slightly amused. He looked as though he was telling a story, and a rather interesting one at that. Harry must have rambled for almost two hours before his eyes began to droop. Severus decided that if Harry were to fall asleep on Lily, he may roll off of her. He let him go a few more minutes before he picked Harry up and placed him on his lap. Harry started to reach for his mother but then settled down. He fell asleep after a few moments.

Madame Pomfrey stopped a few times and offered to watch Harry while he went to get something to eat He politely declined each time, stating that he was fine.

Lunch was not a priority to him at the moment and Harry was still taking his mid-morning nap so eating could wait a while.

He just continued to watch Lily sleep and thought about her.

He thought about their childhood friendship.

Their time at Hogwarts and that dreadful day that he called her a _mudblood. _He really did feel awful about that. He profusely apologized to her after it but was abruptly shut down each time with good reason. He hadn't spoken to her in the four years since they finished school.

He hoped that maybe she would forgive him now. He would like to be friends.

Maybe more than friends.

No.

He couldn't think like that right now. Her husband just died for crying out loud. She needed a friend.

He tried to keep his mind away from that and began to think of other things. Would she remember what happened when she woke up or would she have amnesia? Would she be hysterical? Lily was always level headed but this was quite an event that she experienced.

Severus was interrupted from his thinking when Harry began to stir. He decided that Harry would probably be hungry when he woke up so he stood up with Harry and started for the exit of the Hospital Ward to go to his quarters for some lunch.

Harry's head peered over Severus' shoulder as he walked away.

"Mama!," Harry said excitedly and then began to move up and down.

Severus turned to see what the commotion was about.

Lily was awake.

* * *

**She's awake! How will she react to the situation? We'll find out next chapter. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**Reviews are welcome :)**


	4. The Rat

**_Nanettez: Why can't they just get the house elves to bring something for Harry?_**

**Good question! This will be answered in a later chapter.**

**Thank you for the lovely reviews!**

* * *

_"Mama!," Harry said excitedly and then began to move up and down._

_Severus turned to see what the commotion was about._

_Lily was awake._

Severus quickly made his way back over to Lily with Harry. By the time that they made it back over to her, Lily already had her arms out, reaching for her baby. He gladly obliged and passed Harry off to his mother. She hugged him tightly and rocked him back and forth.

"Oh, I am so happy you are alright my sweet boy!", she cooed to him.

After a few moments with her child, Lily looked up to the man who was still standing by her bed, waiting patiently.

"James is...gone?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

Severus silently closed his eyes and nodded. "I'm afraid so, Lily. I am so sorry."

Lily shut her eyes and tears began to stream down her face. "You know," she said, "I had hoped that it all had been a terrible dream." She clutched Harry to her and sobbed.

Severus sat down on the bed next to her and hesitantly wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "I truly am sorry," he told her, "We may have quarreled during school and absolutely loathed each other, but I had never wished him to be dead."

"It wasn't supposed to happen like this," she cried, "We had cast the Fidelius Charm- oh no," she said and covered her mouth with the hand that wasn't supporting Harry. "Peter outted us. I can't believe it…we shouldn't have trusted him. He and James had been such good friends in school and Sirius would have been too obvious…" she rambled.

"Peter Pettigrew? Peter Pettigrew was your Secret Keeper?" Severus asked incredulously.

Lily nodded.

This was awful. Well, of course it was awful but Lily could not have possibly known how awful it truly was. Severus had seen Pettigrew attending the Death Eater meetings over the course of the past year. He had been feeding information about the Potters to the Dark Lord for almost a year. He had assumed that the Potters had known of Pettigrew's involvement with the Death Eaters and discontinued their contact with him. How could he not have seen this! It should have been so obvious but he had just assumed. The Potters had certainly placed their trust with the wrong person. For Severus, it was almost painful to think about.

"I'll kill that rat," Severus said through his teeth. Neither Lily nor Severus knew if he truly meant it or not.

"I'm afraid that someone has already beaten you to it," a familiar voice said.

Lily and Severus both turned their attention to Dumbledore who was now standing at the foot of Lily's bed.

"Peter Pettigrew is believed to be dead. He and 12 muggles actually. However, the only proof that the Ministry has of Pettigrew's involvement is a single finger," the Headmaster explained.

"Is the Ministry completely sure that he is dead?" Severus asked.

"They are currently searching for any living trace of Peter Pettigrew."

"Under normal circumstances, I would never wish death upon anyone. But after what he did to my family, I hope he is gone," Lily said.

Severus laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You and Harry will be safe. No matter the outcome."

Harry looked up and smiled at the mention of his name. Severus gave him a small smirk in return.

"There is one more thing," Dumbledore said, "Sirius Black has been sent to Azkaban without trial for the murders of Peter Pettigrew and the 12 muggles."

* * *

**Dun dun dun...**

**It's a little shorter than I would have liked but here it is. Thanks again for reading and I do love reviews!**


	5. Askaban

**Sorry it's been a while! I've been super busy with preparing for college and I just got back from watching my best friend play in a drum corp at the DCI World Championship Prelims in Indianapolis. They advanced to semi-finals but didn't make it past that. I also go a new Macbook Pro for school so I am in the process of moving files over from my PC...Okay so that was a while ago. I'm actually half way done with my first semester of college.**

"I-I don't understand…Sirius would never do that. Even if he had figured out who was responsible for James' death, he would never murder 12 innocent people out of anger. I wouldn't go as far to say that he wouldn't make an attempt on Peter's life, but not 12 innocent muggles," Lily said.

"It's nice to see you awake and moving," Dumbledore told Lily with slight smile with which she returned. "Anyways...My thoughts exactly," Dumbledore agreed, "However, Barty Crouch has a different opinion on the matter. He saw a man who had a motive and was from a family who were notorious for their magical crimes. And because he was not given a trial, there is no trial to appeal."

"So you do not think that Sirius had anything to do with this?" Severus asked.

"Not in the slightest," he answered, "But the Ministry does not see it this way. They will publicize his so-called crime and name him as a mass murderer."

"This is totally unfair. He didn't do anything. He wouldn't do anything. How can the Ministry do this and get away with it?" Lily asked.

"Like I said, the Barty Crouch saw a man with a motive and a family with a criminal record. With crimes of this degree, Aurors are not required to conduct a trial. They simply have to provide evidence. Apparently, this was enough evidence," Dumbledore explained.

"This is unbelievable," Lily said, shock and disbelief still plastered on her face.

"There must be some way-" Severus began.

"They are completely adamant. Sirius Black will remain in Azkaban," Dumbledore informed.

Severus sighed. His feelings towards Sirius were similar to his feeling towards James. (Although James had never tried to send him into the shrieking shack during one of Remus Lupin's transformations.)

"I wouldn't tell too many people that Sirius is his godfather if I were you," Dumbledore said quietly, looking at Harry, "The Daily Prophet would have a field day." Dumbledore turned and left the medical ward.

Lily sank into her bed with Harry still on her lap.

"This is all too much. First James is dead, and now Sirius is in Azkaban...everything just needs to slow down," Lily said, bring her hands to her temples.

"If it is any consolation, the Dark Lord appears to have been defeated...for now at least," Severus said.

"What do you mean, for now?" Lily asked.

"I do not think that this is over, Lily. Although it may be years before he emerges again, there is a strong chance that he will be back," Severus explained.

"So James died for nothing. That's just wonderful, Sev. Thanks," she said sarcastically, tears beginning to appear in her eyes.

Severus sat down on the edge of her bed. "He did not die in vain. He died protecting you and your son. And think of all the lives that will be spared during his temporary defeat," Severus said. _I can't believe I am defending him_, he thought.

**Well that was short. I'm sorry. Really I am.**


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